The One
by Sephiroth M. Elmdor
Summary: He is a savior, whether he wants to be one or not. He will breach the barriers between reality and fiction. Reformatted and fixed
1. The Beginning

The One

By

One-Winged Angel

I know there have been a lot of matrix stories, but I hope this is a good one.

Disclaimer: I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion or The Matrix.

This fanfiction was inspired by the Wachowski brothers' film "The Matrix".

oooooooooooooooo

"We have found him."

"The One?"

"Yes."

"Proceed with the extraction."

"Understood."

"And, Asuka. Be careful."

"I will."

"I need to go now, this line is being monitored."

"Alright. Out"

Asuka put the phone down, and disconnected from her laptop. She had found him, the one that would save them all. Sirens were heard, alerting her to the presence of the police. She knew that she could handle those thugs, but the one thing she feared was the arrival of a ronin. Ronins were super-fast and super-strong. They were akin to machines, unstoppable and deadly. Never failing, never faltering.

It was then she felt it, the feeling that wrenched in her gut whenever one of _them_ showed up. She ran down the hallway trying to escape.

"Freeze!"

'Damn'

"Put your hands where I can see them."

She slowly put up her arms, and turned around.

"You mean like this?"

She reached out and flipped the gun from the officer in a judo-like throw. She then disarmed the other officers with a multitude of punches and kicks that were so fast that she looked like a blur. Once the officers were down she proceeded to run back down the hallway, where a large man in a long black coat stopped her. He carried with him shades that were so dark you couldn't see his eyes; he had white hair that reached to his shoulders and carried a large sword.

"Shit, A ronin."

"You are correct in your observation. Please standby to be taken into custody."

"Like hell I will."

She kicked the ronin on the side of his head with a flying kick. She walked sideways on the wall and flipped over the ronin so her back was facing his back. She ran towards the window and jumped, crashing the glass and landed perfectly on the other side. She ran all the way down the building into a deserted alley. She weaved her way through the gauntlet, dodging obstacles, and running very quickly to her objective. She then reached a door and opened it to reveal a ringing phone.

"Jackpot."

She picked up the phone and disappeared.

oooooooooooooooooo

Shinji awoke with a large ring from his alarm clock.

"Ungggh…."

Shinji pressed down on the button of his alarm clock so hard that he was lucky he didn't break it.

"Shinji wake up" Came the voice of Shinji's mother, Yui Ikari.

"C'mon son, you'll be late for school" Came the deep voice of his father, Gendo Ikari.

"I'm up, I'm up." Said the meek voice of Shinji.

Shinji tiredly got out of bed, still feeling a little groggy from lack of sleep. 'Those late nights with the guys need to end.' He rubbed his tired eyes and proceeded to head for the bathroom to find it occupied by his younger sister, Rei.

"Rei, move faster will ya?" he said as he knocked on the door.

"Yeah, I'm hurrying, alright?"

Finally, Rei got out of the bathroom all dressed in her uniform already. Unlike him Rei was always prim and proper, never a single hair out of place, never tucked out shirt.

"Here you go bro, be fast or else we'll be late."

"Alright."

Shinji used the bathroom as fast as he could. He washed his face, brushed his teeth, and took a bath all in record time. In no time at all he was in his school uniform. He then went downstairs for breakfast with his family.

"Mornin' Dad, mornin' Mom."

"Good morning, son" the deep voice of Gendo Ikari responded.

"Good morning, son!" came the bubbly reply of Yui Ikari.

"What's for breakfast?"

"Toast and eggs, eat up."

"Sure, mom."

"C'mon Rei, sit down and eat." Her brother said to her.

"Ok, ok." Came the agitated voice of Rei.

Shinji looked at his watched, it was almost time to depart for school.

"Rei, let's go or we'll be late."

"Alright, bro."

"Ittekimasu."

"Itterashai"

Shinji and Rei slowly walked to their school, Tokyo-3 Municipal High School. It was then that Shinji felt that strange feeling again, the feeling that always wrenched in his gut whenever he went to school, to the market, or almost anywhere else. It was a very peculiar feeling, albeit he could not explain it himself. He always shrugged it off as his imagination, like every other time he felt it.

The short trip to school was short and uneventful. It was at school where the fun would begin, where everything would begin to unravel, and the plot where the plot will unfold.

oooooooooooooooo

This is the first chapter of my new story, for all of you reading Goodbye, I'm sorry for not updating yet, I promise I'll get to it soon.

Also I'm sorry if this is short, it's only the prologue after all; the next chapter will be much longer.

I promise.

Domo Arigato,

One-Winged Angel 


	2. Questions and Answers

The One Chapter 2  
By  
One-Winged Angel  
  
When Shinji arrived at school, something felt different. Like today was going to be a different day from any other. Shinji and Rei arrived at the gates to school on time, as always. They did their usual activities, and proceeded inside their classrooms. When Shinji entered his classroom, he was once again overcome with a strange feeling.  
  
'It feels strange, like someone is watching me.' Shinji turned his head and looked around for anyone spying on him, he just saw people talking with each other.

"Shinji? What's wrong?" Rei asked, obviously puzzled by his quizzical look.

He shook his head and said, "No, nothing's wrong."

They proceeded to sit in their respective seats and got out their laptops. They had a lucky school; it condoned the use of laptops and other electronic devices as long as it doesn't disturb the class. Just as he turned on his laptop the bell rang, and more students began to file inside the classroom.  
  
"Yo, Shinji. Good Morning!" rang the voice of Shinji's friend, Touji Suzuhara.

"Hi, Touji." He replied.

"Shinji, a fine morning to you." His other friend stated.

"Good morning, Kensuke." Kensuke Aida was his name, a very smart lad, yet a tad eccentric.

As they went to their seats, the teacher came in. He was a bit on the fat side with small spectacles on his nose and had white hair all over his head.

"Rise. Bow. Sit." The class rep, Hikari Horaki ordered exuberantly.  
  
"Good Morning class, we have a new student today. Her name is Asuka Langley Sohryu. She comes from Germany; I want you to make her feel at home. Come in, Miss Sohryu."  
  
A tall and beautiful girl walked in, she had shoulder length red hair, deep blue eyes, a very beautiful body, and a lovely face. 

"Hello, I'm Asuka Langley Sohryu. I am an exchange student from Germany." She said in a rather monotone voice.

I knew that every male eye was probably giving her some stares because of her beauty. I looked in her eyes and she stared straight into mine, it's as if she was scanning me, it felt very weird. It was only for a split second though as she looked back at the class.  
  
"Please take the seat next to Mr. Ikari, Ms. Sohryu."

Asuka walked to the seat beside Shinji and calmly sat down. The teacher began his lesson and everyone became bored at the old teacher's continued droning over his life in second impact. Shinji looked at his laptop and entered a chat room.  
  
Ting  
  
S.I. 01:Yo guys!  
  
Muscle Man: Hey Shinji  
  
Geek Glasses: Hello Shinji  
  
Muscle Man: Did you see the hot new girl? She's so sexy!  
  
Geek Glasses: Yes, a prime specimen of femininity.  
  
S.I. 01: I guess...  
  
Muscle Man; So di...  
  
Then the whole screen went black. 'What the... Is something wrong with my laptop?'  
  
_We know who you are.  
_  
'What the hell is this...?'  
  
_You are the one we have been searching for.  
  
Do you want to know your fate?  
  
Do you want answers to your questions?  
  
If so, meet me at the entrance of the school after classes are over._  
  
Shinji looked around and saw if someone was getting a good laugh from this, he saw nothing. But, Shinji had a feeling that it was somebody in the classroom. Another one of Shinji's weird quirks was always having a keen sense. It's part of that weird feeling he always gets.  
  
Maybe he would get the answers that he was looking for, why he always had this weird feeling. Maybe he would know why he had these weird feelings. Maybe she would know why he always felt different from other people. Maybe. Just too many damn maybes.  
  
Shinji looked back again at the monitor and saw it had returned to the desktop. Shinji knew that if he wanted some answers, he had better meet the mystery person.

oooooooooooooooooo  
  
It was after school and Shinji was standing outside the front gate of the school. It had been half an hour after the last bell rang, the bell that signaled the end of the last period. Shinji sat on one of the benches drinking a soda he got from one of the vending machines, he was getting impatient. He had already wasted half an hour sitting here, doing nothing.

'Maybe it was a prank. Maybe they're laughing their asses of now.'  
  
"If you think this is a joke, you are sadly mistaken." A cool feminine voice said.

I was jolted out of my musings and I looked up. I was surprised to say the least, to see it was the new student, Asuka, looking down at me.

"You sent that message didn't you?" I asked.

"Yes, that was I." She coolly replied.

"You said you could answer my questions?" I inquired.

"It is better if Ritsuko answered your questions." She replied.

"Ritsuko? Who's she?" I prodded on.

"Tomorrow all your questions will be answered. I promise. Meet me here again tomorrow, and you will find the answers you seek." She replied with a lighter tone.  
  
Asuka turned around and walked away, she stopped abruptly after a few paces and said, "Be careful, and be vigilant." And continued to walk away. The wind blew some dust around and with a blink she was gone.  
  
Shinji turned back, and made his way back home.  
  
When Shinji arrived home, he saw Rei was very angry with him. She was standing in the doorway with her hands akimbo.

She was glaring at him and said,"Why'd you leave me waiting for you for an hour? I thought you were kidnapped or something."

She was very, very angry. Shinji raised his hands defensively and shook his head, "Sorry, I forgot that you were waiting for me." I replied hesitantly.

"You forgot about your own sister? How cruel of you." She crossed her arms and looked away from him.

"I promise to make it up to you. How about I take you shopping on Saturday. How does that sound?" Shinji hoped that that would calm her.

She looked at me again with a happy look on her face, she jumped on Shinji, hugged him with all her might, and squealed "Thank youuuuu brother, I really appreciate it."

I knew that would do the trick, it always worked. She went back in and went inside her room.  
  
"Good Evening Father, Mother."  
  
Gendo just looked at him and said "Don't be late again, Shinji."  
  
"Yes, Father."  
  
"Shinji don't worry us like that again, OK?"  
  
"Yes, Mother."  
  
Shinji went into his room shortly after the quick conversation. He was dead tired, the conversation with Asuka served to strain him even more. He rubbed his temples and looked at his bed. He sat down on his bed, looked up at the ceiling and began to ponder what tomorrow would hold for him. He lied down, without bothering to change his clothes, pulled up the covers, and went to bed.  
  
I know Asuka, Rei, and almost every character here is OOC, but I need them that way. You will see that it will all come together eventually. This is just not a rehash of the Matrix; it only inspired me to come up with some creative ideas.  
  
I hope you like this, and continue to show your support.  
  
Domo Arigato,  
  
One-Winged Angel


	3. Entering the Path of no Return

The One  
By  
One-Winged Angel  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion  
  
Shinji awoke to face another day. He looked around and stared at his alarm clock. 'Hmm... that's weird, I'm awake an hour early.' He got up and went near the window. He slowly opened the blinds and saw that the dark night was looking solemnly at him, like a gaze of doom. He looked away from the haunting stare and sat down at the edge of my bed. He laid his head down on the pillow and folded his arms back towards his head.  
  
Shinji remembered the previous day's events, he was trying to decide whether he would meet with this Ritsuko person. To tell the truth he was really very intrigued, he had always felt that there was a feeling that was nagging him in the back of his mind. That there was something wrong, but he couldn't quite place his finger upon it.  
  
He decided to go along with it, he had nothing to lose. Except maybe, the possibility of him being kidnapped. He thought of that as being highly unlikely since he wasn't rich or some official's son. Besides if Asuka was right, this Ritsuko might have the answers that he has been searching for all his life.  
  
He was jolted from his musing by the loud buzzing of the alarm clock. It was 6'o clock. The sun was slowly rising from the horizon, the rays of the sun were daring to pierce the blinds of Shinji's room.  
  
Shinji went to the bathroom to take a bath and brush his teeth. He knocked on the door and thanked the gods that Rei hadn't been using the bathroom. She usually used for hours on end, he really didn't want to deal with that so early in the morning.  
  
After doing his morning rituals in the bathroom, Shinji went into the dining room and saw his father, as usual, reading the paper. His mother was making breakfast. It was like clockwork, like it was specifically designed. The routine, for all his 14 years of living, never deviated from the usual events that happened. Shinji felt that it was too peculiar that everyday was the same thing, but he dismissed it, like he always does and concentrates on eating his breakfast.  
  
"Good morning, son." Gendo greets in a deep voice.  
  
"Good morning, son." Yui says merrily.  
  
"Good morning, mom, dad." Shinji replies.  
  
After wolfing down his cereal, he packed his bag, said goodbye to his parents and waited for Rei outside.  
  
"I hope you didn't wait long." Rei calmly stated.  
  
"Not at all, shall we get going?" Shinji asked.  
  
"Sure." Rei replied.  
  
They walked down the street together, neither one saying anything to the other. They had gotten used to this type of silence. One where they had nothing to say to each other.  
  
Soon, they reached the school entrance, Shinji immediately saw Asuka waiting at the front gate for him.  
  
"Rei, you go on ahead, I need to talk to Asuka." Shinji said.  
  
"Talking to your girlfriend? Huh?" Rei asked in an amused tone.  
  
Shinji blushed at that remark but managed to calm himself down.  
  
"No, I'm just going to discuss business with her." Shinji stated.  
  
"Right... I'll just go on ahead then, see ya later!" Rei enthusiastically replied.  
  
Shinji went on and stood next to Asuka.  
  
"You came. Have you decided?" Asuka asked in a monotone.  
  
"Yes, I have decided to accept your offer, I want some answers and I hope you can give them to me." Shinji replied.  
  
"I hope so too, let's go."  
  
Immediately after she said that, a black sedan pulled up in front of the street. The car door opened and out came a man with long, shoulder length brownish, black hair. He stood near Asuka and held out his hand to usher us in. They entered the black car and sat on the leather-furnished seat. The seat was cool against Shinji's posterior, it almost felt like sitting on ice. The atmosphere felt cool against Shinji's bare skin, and he rubbed his arms in an attempt to cool himself.  
  
The car trip was long and silent, the man, Shigeru was sitting next to them and another man, Hyuga Makoto was what Shigeru called him, with thick, black glasses with black hair was driving. It felt as if you could cut the silence with a knife and serve it to everyone on a plate.  
  
The car stopped suddenly and Shinji jerked forward in his seat, good thing he wore a seatbelt or he would have had his face planted on the side of seat. He unbuckled himself and looked at where they stopped. It was a dilapidated building, that had lots of broken windows, creaking windowsills and felt as if the building was going to come down any minute.  
  
They entered the worn-down building and walked upstairs. Shinji looked at his surroundings and thought that if the outside looked bad, the inside was worse, much worse. The ceiling was acting like it was about to fall down any second, the walls' wallpaper were all but gone now, only a few traces of it remain over the wooden planks that adorn the structures original structure. The floorboards were creaking like ducks that were constantly honking in the park, and the whole feel of the building just felt weird.  
  
When they finally reached the top floor, Asuka opened the door and motioned for Shinji to go in. He saw two people were there. A man in his late twenties who had brown hair and wore it in a loose ponytail, he wore an unkempt blue long sleeve shirt that had a black trench coat. The other was a woman with short blonde hair and wore a bodysuit that was like a second skin. She had full red lips and had on black high-heeled shoes.  
  
Asuka walked towards the man with the ponytail and stopped next to him, very near to him, that suggested that they were more than friends. Apparently, the guy thought they were just friends with the way that he was shying away from her even as she was rubbing herself at him. The other two men sat down near two consoles on the opposite corners of the room and worked on their respective tasks.  
  
The woman sat on a big brown chair near the center of the room across it was a table and another chair. The table had a metal box, small box with no markings whatsoever, and a glass of water.  
  
"Welcome, Shinji." A cool and smooth voice said.  
  
"I am Ritsuko Akagi and I am here to offer you a choice."  
  
"What choice? I thought you were going to answer my questions?"  
  
"That depends..."  
  
"On what?"  
  
"On what your answer will be."  
  
'This is really confusing, are these people trying to kill me or something?' Shinji thought.  
  
"Sit down and I will tell you why you have been brought here." Ritsuko motioned me to sit in the chair across from hers.  
  
Shinji sat down on the brown leather armchair, it was very plush and well- designed, which was quite unusual because this was a really trashy place.  
  
"You are here because you know something. Have you ever felt that there was something wrong with the world, that it was different? You feel it every time you go to school, go to the supermarket or walk down the street. You see it out the window, every time you turn on your TV Screen. A weird feeling that you always have?" Ritsuko queerly asked.  
  
"Yes." Shinji quietly replied.  
  
"Good. You see this world is not what it seems, it is a cleverly constructed deception created by an Artificial Intelligence. This world is called the matrix. It is everything, yet it is nothing. You see it in the streets, in your school, you feel it in the air that you breathe. A subtle yet distinct feeling of genuine unease. That is the Matrix."  
  
"That's impossible." Shinji stated. He couldn't believe that all of his life was some cleverly concocted sham.  
  
"Believe it, I cannot say anymore. It is time for you to make a choice. By now, you must feel like Alice tumbling down the rabbit hole, feeling lost and unsure. But be careful in your choice, for there will be no turning back once you make it."  
  
Ritsuko was making it sound like some death threat, Shinji was very nervous, but steeled himself for this choice.  
  
Ritsuko reached for the box, opened it and shaked it. Out came two pills, a red pill and a blue pill. She offered them to me, one in each open palm.  
  
"If you take the blue pill, you will wake up in your home, not remembering anything that has happened during this time. You will continue playing your fantasy in this dream land and you will never hear from us again. You take the red pill, you stay in wonderland and you'll see how far the rabbit hole goes."  
  
Shinji looked at the two pills, deciding which to take. Did he want the truth, the answers to his questions or did he want to go back; back to his family and friends? Shinji made his mind up, took the red pill and swallowed it with a gulp of water.  
  
Ritsuko stood up, went to my side and patted it.  
  
"Good, follow me."  
  
Shinji was led into another chair directly across a cracked mirror. Shinji sat down the on the chair and was strapped on the legs and arms by Asuka.  
  
"This gonna hurt?" Shinji shakily asked. "Maybe." Asuka replied.  
  
"If you feel a wave of nausea, that's alright. That means it's working, that pill you took was tracer program for us to locate you in the real world. Don't worry all will be explained." Ritsuko stated.  
  
Ritsuko stood near Shigeru and looked at his console.  
  
"Got him yet?"  
  
"Not yet, ma'am. Just a few more minutes."  
  
Asuka walked towards Hyuga's console and looked at his readings.  
  
Shinji was feeling a bit woozy already, he felt that his entire body was feeling like jelly. He looked down and saw that his entire body was being engulf by a silvery liquid.  
  
Shinji panicked, he was struggling against his bindings. He kicked against his chains until Ritsuko told him to calm down.  
  
"Calm down, you're not going to be hurt." Ritsuko coolly said.  
  
Shinji felt it hit, a sudden tightness in his chest.  
  
"He's going into cardiac arrest." Asuka shouted.  
  
"Hurry it up, Shigeru." Ritsuko's voice had an underlying sense of urgency but it was very faint.  
  
"Got it!" Shigeru cheered.  
  
Then Shinji felt it, a burning sensation throughout his body, something that was threatening to explode inside him. It was if he was going to spontaneously combust.  
  
Then he awoke and all he could feel was the cold.

ooooooooooooooooooooooo  
  
Thanks to all my reviewers, even if they are few and far in between.  
  
I look forward to more people reading this.  
  
Domo Arigato,  
  
One-Winged Angel


	4. Dreams

The One  
By  
One-Winged Angel  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion  
  
The coldness enveloped Shinji's body, the pink goo was semi-dense and while it was liquid, it was very hard to maneuver inside the plastic-like pod that was imprisoning Shinji.  
  
His arms and legs were connected to the back of the pod with some kind of wire, kind of like an umbilical cord. The base of his neck was firmly attached to a wide cord that was connected to the center of the pod.  
  
Shinji tried to break free of his bindings, but to no avail. The cords were firmly secured by some locking mechanism installed within the pod. He didn't know why he was trapped inside some weird-looking pod. But he hoped that he could get out of there soon.  
  
'Is this the real world?' Shinji faintly thought. His mind was filled with questions about this world. What was the outside like, who were the people living here. The most prominent one, however, was the question of breaking out of the pod.  
  
Suddenly, the cords that were restricting his movement were detracted back into the pod. The pink goo that was inside was slowly starting to drain out of the pod. Finally the cord that was attached to his neck finally detached itself. When the goo had completely drained out of the pod. The front casing whirred and opened itself with a strong "whoosh" sound.  
  
As he looked around, he saw massive fields each with multitudes of pods. He assumed that each encased a human within. But he wasn't too sure about that fact. They could be filled with something else. The sky was dark and bleak, it was not an ordinary darkness, Shinji felt, it was like an artificial darkness, like some dark cloak that came to cover the sun.  
  
A massive robot suddenly appeared out of nowhere and startled Shinji. The massive robot seemed to be scanning Shinji. It then said something in an undecipherable language. Maybe robot talk, it was cold, unfeeling, metallic...  
  
It's blood red eyes seemed to be analyzing Shinji inside out, for it kept flashing strange blue lights from it's arms that seemed to scan Shinji. Abruptly, the robot stopped scanning Shinji, it moved it's head forward a little and once again talked in that unknown language it was using.  
  
Then a hole in the back of the pod opened and then Shinji gets propelled downwards in a cylindrical shaft that was twisting and turning. When Shinji finally came out of the long tunnel, he was deposited into a vast expanse of a sewer and fell with a large splash.  
  
A large ship seemed to be hovering over him, blinding him with it's luminescent lights. Then, the underbelly of the ship opened and Shinji felt himself being hoisted off the water and into the ship and slowly fell into unconsciousness.

ooooooooooooooooooo

When Shinji felt some semblance of sense come back to him, he tried to open his eyes, but found it agonizingly hard to open them. It took a few tries, but he finally managed to open his eyes. He saw Ritsuko slowly looking over him, he turned his head and found it also hard to turn it. He managed to turn his head a few degrees sideward and saw Asuka leaning against the wall with her arms folded beneath her breasts.  
  
"Don't try to move. You're muscles have atrophied, we're trying to restore your motor functions right now. Just relax, you'll be up and running in no time."  
  
Ritsuko's reassuring words made Shinji a little more comfortable, but he still feels some anxiety at losing the use of his motor skills. Shinji tried to move his limbs again, but to no avail. They just wouldn't budge, nothing would. His neck, legs, arms and even his eyes refused to respond. He tried to speak, but once again a hand was placed upon his shoulder.  
  
"You haven't used your vocal cords in a long time, they have atrophied as well. Just rest, I assure you, everything will be fine," Ritsuko said.  
  
Shinji just looked at her, he tried to nod, but he decided not to strain himself. He opted just to close his eyes and lose himself in the land of dreams.

ooooooooooooooooooo

"Shinji."  
  
"Shinji!"  
  
"Shinji!!"  
  
Shinji was startled awake and was very groggy. He looked around and all he could see was white and an old man standing in the center of the room. The old man looked like a Chinese mystic, but somehow he had the feeling that he wasn't.  
  
Shinji slowly approached the old man, taking in his features. He appeared to be an average old man with a yellow silk shirt and black silk pants, he also had a cane that he was apparently using for support.  
  
Shinji slowly approached the old man, he was unsure of him. He looked like an average old man, but his recent experience with Ritsuko taught him that looks could be deceiving.  
  
"You are wary of me Shinji, that is good, you must not be so trusting of anybody. Yet you must keep an open mind," the old man suddenly said.  
  
Shinji was startled by the voice of the old man. He asked "Wh..Who are you?"  
  
"Me? My name is not important, but you can call me the Master."  
  
"The Master, are you the controller of the Matrix?"  
  
"Hmm... I suppose you can say that, but still it is not an accurate description of me."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Well you see, I am the one who made the Matrix, as well as the one who controls it. But I do not do it of my own free will. If I knew my people would rebel against me, I would have never created it."  
  
"What do you mean? Did you not make the Matrix to control the world?"  
  
The old man laughed and shook his head.  
  
"No, I did not. I made the Matrix so that the world would have a place to spend their free time with. A battle simulator, a recreational tool, a teaching aid. Those and many more were the initial use of the Matrix. It is used by placing neural interface connectors in your spinal cord, cerebral cortex and of course your limbs. It totally immerses you in a simulated world, one where you cannot tell the difference between the real world and the Matrix anymore. That is how dangerous the Matrix is, but during those times I was being heralded as the genius of the 21st century and I let it go to my head. I was such a fool back then."  
  
Shinji was still absorbing the information, he was shocked at the fact the Matrix was actually a tool used for helping people a long time ago. He thought the creator was an evil being, but here he was just a normal scientist the tried to help people.  
  
"That was not the worst part. The worst part was one night, maybe three to four years after the completion of the Matrix, A rag-tag bunch of thieves broke in and stole the system. At the time there were approximately 8 billion people worldwide who were using the system. Each time someone connected they could not get out anymore. Through my monitor, I saw, one by one, the population of the world was being trapped in the world of the Matrix. Until eventually, the world was consumed by the Matrix. At first, everything was pandemonium. People were scared at the fact of being stranded in the Matrix forever. But after a while, they adapted to the Matrix and went on with their normal lives. Having children, living and dying. Actually no one dies, they are all being nourished by a special machine that I created for long-term use of the Matrix, and then reborn as new beings after a memory wipe. No children are actually born as well, they are all subroutines of the Matrix."  
  
The Master gave an exasperated sigh, he didn't want to relive those days. Never a day goes by without him regretting his actions. He looked at Shinji, he was visibly shaken from his tirade. He wished he could say it to him in a gentler way, but reality was harsh and he had to be too.  
  
Shinji was shocked to hear all this. He knew that the Matrix was a false world. But to think even the children weren't real. Was he even real? Or was he just a simple subroutine? Maybe he wasn't even Shinji Ikari, but someone else. He shook his head, he was Shinji and as long as he believed himself to be, he will always be Shinji.  
  
"Don't worry Shinji, you are who you are. Your core personality will never change, only your name will and names aren't that at all important."  
  
"I know, I am Shinji and always will be Shinji."  
  
"Correct, Shinji you maybe wondering why I brought you to this place. This place is a part of the Matrix, albeit an isolated one. You have a special ability Shinji, one that no other person possesses, you are unique in a way that no other individual will be. You are the One."  
  
"The One? What's that? Some omnipotent being? You make it sound like a powerful thing."  
  
"No nothing like that, but you will be very strong. You will need that strength to free the rest of humankind. You will be also granted wisdom, this will help you see through the various trials that will be placed upon you. But before you attain these you will need to destroy three limiters that are scattered around the Matrix."  
  
"Three? But you only said Strength and Wisdom, what is the third thing?"  
  
The Master smiled; an eerie smile that hinted on something hidden.  
  
"The last is a secret, it is something that I cannot tell you, you must see it for yourself."  
  
He turned his back and faced away from Shinji. He quietly spoke.  
  
"When you awaken you must seek the oracle. Ritsuko will inform you more of her. I have spoken to her already in hidden messages through her communications array and have informed her of the oracles whereabouts some time ago." "I understand. But, where are these limiters?"  
  
"The first one, I have already told to Ritsuko. The first limiter will lead you to the others."  
  
"I see. So, how am I supposed to get out of here?"  
  
"Well... I just have to..."  
  
The Master felt it, a terrible ominous feeling of dread. It was as if a dark shadow was cast upon the entire place. The Master knew what was coming or rather who.  
  
"I must get you out of here now, before he finds you. Before you go I need to remind you of another, one who will help you, one has similar powers as you. His name is..."  
  
The Master was slowly fading out as he spoke these words. And before he was able to speak the name of Shinji's companion the Master totally faded out. Shinji suddenly felt very trapped in the endless white walls that were encompassing the place.  
  
Footsteps could be heard, Shinji turned around to see a Silver-Haired figure. He had silver hair up to his shoulders, blood red eyes, and had a large sword by his side.  
  
"Welcome, Mr. Ikari. My name is Kaworu Nagisa. You don't know me, but I certainly know you. My mission and the mission of the two others like me is the total annihilation of you and your companion, both of you are a threat to the objectives of our masters."  
  
"Who are your masters?"  
  
"We do not know, we only obey. We need not know the identity of our master."  
  
"Then you are like dogs, following blindly the commands of your masters. You are nothing but mindless slaves."  
  
"Enough, if you weren't so weak, I would kill you where you stand."  
  
Kaworu smiled an evil-looking smile. One that conveyed the message of murder.  
  
"But you are still weak, I do not kill weaklings. I will release you from this place. Train hard, for the next time I see you, I will kill you."  
  
Shinji started to feel weird, Kaworu's image was starting distort. Everything was starting to distort. He felt like his head was splitting open and a giant was coming out of it. The room started to spin and then he felt his knees buckle and give way. He came crashing to the ground and fell unconscious.

ooooooooooooooooo

"Shinji."  
  
"Shinji!"  
  
"Shinji!!"  
  
Shinji was startled awake yet again and thought that he should stay more alert. At least this time it was a female voice. Shinji slowly opened his eyes and saw Ritsuko and Asuka staring down at him.  
  
He slowly smiled and said, "Can I move now?"

ooooooooooooooo

Well, it has been a long time since I updated. Sorry it took so long, but I took a vacation for a while.  
  
At least on my vacation, I had the chance many writing styles and decided to incorporate them into my style. I don't think it's plagiarism if it's just the style of writing and not the idea.  
  
Anyway, after this I will be writing the epilogue of my other story: Goodbye. So stay tuned for that too. I will continue this story after I have written the epilogue, so people who read this story, don't be thinking I have abandoned this story.  
  
Even if I take almost forever to update, I never abandon any of my stories. No matter what the reason, even if there are zero reviews until I finish it. I write because I want to write and share it with the world. You people don't need to review if you don't want to.  
  
Domo Arigato,  
  
One-Winged Angel


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